lukens



R. A. LUKENS.

PATTERN CONTROLLED KNOCK-OFF MEANS FOR THE STOP MOTIONS 0F KNITTING MACHINES. 7

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, I920.

lfik3 3 q Patented Jan. 10, 1922..

2 SHEETSSHEET 1- R. A- LUKENS. PATTERN CONTROLLED KNOCK-OFF MEANS FOR THE STOP MOTIONS 0F KNITTING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED APn.20. I920.

1,46%,332 Patented Jan. ]N] ,-]1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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VANIA EATTERN-OOETROLLED KNUCK-OIEIF MEANS FOR, THE s'ror MQTIQNS .015

MACHINES.

KNITTING l"atented Jan. 1ND, 11922.

Application filed dplil 20, 1920. serial No. 875,294.

To all whom it may ooncem:

Be it known that I, RINALno A. LUKENS, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of (lollingswood, in the county of Camden, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .Pattern- Controlled Knock-Off Means for the Stop. Motions of Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

While my invention relates more particularly to pattern-chain-controlled mechanism for actuating the stop-motions of and has been applied to that class of knitting machines which are designed to produce knitted fabrics, it may be applied, with little or no modificatiomjto machines employed for the knitting of hoisery, underwear and similar garments. Eiderdown and similar fleeced goods are usually knitted on a circular knitting machine in the form of a cylindrical web and the ractice is to split the same and thereby provide a section of flat material.

Stripin effects are desirable in the manufacture 0 these goods and the principal object of my invention is to provide means for automatically stopping the feeding of the body and striping threads at desired intervals in order that knitting or the use of one or .the other may be resumed as desired. My

invention has been a plied to knitting machines of the type which usually employ a series of thread feeding devices, each of which is usually combined with some form of stop-motion, so that a plurality of courses are knitted for every revolution of the cylinder. When it is desired to introduce colored threads for striping purposes in ,the fabric so produced, it becomes necessary to change the threads at long or short intervals. depending upon the character of the striping', the width of the same, and theamount of striping effect employed in a given length of fabric.

The machines of the type to which this invention is applied, are supplied with a plurality of threads, usually a plurality of fleecing threads and a plurality of body threads; the bod threads when employs forming one sur ace and the fleecing threads when employed with body threads forming the other surface. The striping threads, when employed in a two faced fabric, take the place of the usual fleecing threads and are part of the napped surface of the finally finished material in the case of napped goods.

To efiect the desired stoppages of the machine for the purpose of introducing the striping threads or resuming the use of the regular body threads, which constitute the greater art ofthe fabric, I have devised knock-o means to engage the actuating lever or finger of the stop-motion at the desired intervals.

The striping effects produced are usually of a certain width, for instance, thirty-two courses of thread, and as a plurality of threads are being laid for each revolution'of the fabric being knitted, four for instance, 1t 1s deslrable to provide mechanism that will stop the feeding of the striping threads after eight revolutions of the cylinder, for instance, have taken place.- The intervals for introducing the striping threads are controlled by a pattern-chain of the usual type, having high links which are brought into contact with a crank-arm carried-by arockshaft, the opposite end of said ,rock-shaft being connected to a rod to engage and actuate a lever or finger ofthe stop-motion.

It will be understood that my invention does not relate to the, stop-motion per se, and that any suitable stop-motion may be employed, so long as an actuating lever or finger thereof may be arranged inthe path of an arm or rod operated by the rock-shaft when the actuating crank-arm of the latter is engaged by a high link of the patternchain.

These and other features of my invention are more fully described hereinafter,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l, is a perspective view-of partried by a stub shaft 8 mounted in the bracket 3, which shaft also carries, disposed beyond said gear wh el, a pair of pattern-chain wheels 9 and 9; and in the present instance one of said chain wheels bears a relation to the gear wheel 8 of eight to one and the other of four to one.

Mounted in the supports 3 above the shaft 5 is a rock shaft 10, one end of which carries a knock-off rod 11, which may be pivoted thereto, while its opposite end is cranked at 12, and this cranked portion lies in the path of the pattern-chain. In the present instance the rock shaft 10, is provided with an arm 10 to which the knock-off bar is pivoted, and this rock shaft is normally held by a torsion spring 13 so that the end 11* of knock-off rod is maintained in nominal engagement with the actuating finger of the stop-motion, ready to trip the latter when the shaft 10 is rocked.

The rotating needle cylinder carries a suitable pawl or projection 1,4, which may be adjustably mounted, adapted 'to engage the star wheel 6 so that the latter is moved one tooth for every revolution of the cylinder, and this motion being transmitted to the pinion 7 efiects movement of-the gear wheel 8 which in turn efiects movement of the pattern-chain wheels. If desired for any reason, as for instance, toeffect a faster movement of the patternr chain, the needle cylinder may be equipped with a plurality awls 14,

rranged for movement by the chain wheels 9 and 9 are pattern-chains 15, provided at suitable intervals with high links or projections 16, adapted to engage the cranked end 12 of the rock-shaft. The end 11 of the knock-ofi' arm or rod 11 lies in nominal engagement with an actuating finger 17 of a suitable stop-motion, part of which is shown in broken lines, and when the rock-shaft is rocked in its bearings by the engagement of a high link with the cranked end 12 of the same, it will cause the shaft to move the knock-off rod 11, and end of the latter will move the actuating finger 17 of the stop-motion mechanism, thereby causing the cylinder to stop when the desired number of striping courses or the desired number of regular courses have been laid. It will be understood of course, that the pattern-chains may be used alternately, and 1g. 2, shows a cranked end 12 for engagement by the link of a pattern-chain on the chain wheel 9, while Fig. 3, shows a cranked end 12 for engagement by the link of a attern-chain carried on the chain wheel 9. t will be understood, of course, that other means, for instance, pattern disks with projecting portions, may be employed in lieu of the pattern chains and wheels, and that instead of cranking the end of the rock shaft, a separable crank arm maybe attached thereto. I

When the motion of the cylinder is arrested by the operation of the stop-motion, the operator is free to break the striping threads and insert the regular threads or vice versa, and the machine may then go on knitting plain fabric, or the striped portion, until another high link (or projection) comes in contact with the cranked arm 12 of the rock-shaft again operating the knockoff rod to move the actuating finger of the stop-motion and arrest the knitting 0peration.

While my invention has been applied to machines for knitting fabric as above described, it is not necessarily limited thereto and may be employed with any form of knitting machine wherein it is desired to change the character of the knitting or the type of thread introduced at intervals.

claim:

1. The combination with a knitting machine of the type having a rotating needle cylinder and a bed plate in which said cylinder rotates, of a bracket carried by said bed plate, a shaft journaled gill said bracket, means carried by the rotating cylinder for periodically imparting rotative movement to said shaft, a pattern chain, a twheel forthe same, gearing whereby said pattern chain wheel may be actuated by the shaft, a stopmotion actuating finger, a rock shaft having a cranked end, a movable rod pivotally connected to the opposite end of said rock shaft for operative engagement with said stop motion actuating finger, and a high link carried by the pattern chain, adapted to engage the cranked end of said rock shaft whereby the stop-motion actuating finger may be operated.

2. The combination with a knitting machine of the type having a rotating needle cylinder and a bed plate in which said cylinder rotates, of a bracket carried by. said bed plate, a shaft journaled in said bracket, a star wheel carried at the end of said shaft, means carried by the rotating cylinder for engaging said star wheel periodically to move it and the shaft a distance of one tooth, a pattern chain wheel, gearin whereby movement may be imparted to t e latter from said shaft, a pattern chain on said pattern chain wheel, a stop-motion actuatin finger, a rock shaft having a cranked en a rod pivotall connected to the opposite end of said rock s aft for operative engagement with said finger, and a high link carried by the pattern chain for operative engagement with the cranked end of said rock shaft whereby the stop-motion actuating finger may be moved.

3. In a structure such as set forth in claim 2, a spring to hold the rock shaft in one position with the movable rod pivotally connected thereto in operative engagement with the stop-motion actuating finger whereby the latter may be tripped when the rock shaft is moved.

4. In a structure such as set forth in claim 2, a spring to hold the rock shaft so that the movable rod pivotally connected thereto is maintained in operative engagement with the stop-motion actuating finger ready to trip the latter when the rock shaft is moved, and a plurality of chain wheels disposed in operative relation with respect to said star wheel; one of said chain wheels being adapted to carry and effect movement of a pattern chain.

5. In a structure such as set forth in claim 2, a plurality of chain Wheels disposed in operative relation with respect to said star wheel; one of said chain wheels being adapted to carry and eflectmovement of a pattern chain.

6. The combination with a knitting machine having a bed plate and a rotating needle cylinder mounted in said bed plate, of a bracket detachably carried by said bed plate, a shaft journaled in said bracket, means for actuating said shaft from the rotatin I needle cylinder, a stop-motion actuating nger, a rock shaft having a cranked end, a rod pivotally connected to the opposite end of said rock shaft and in operative engagement with said stop-motion-actuating finger, and means controlled by the first-named shaft for engaging said crank arm to actuate said rock shaft and through it the rod attached thereto to move the stop-"notion actuating finger.

7. The combination with a knitting machine having a rotating needle cylinder and a bed plate in which said cylinder is mounted, of a bracket carried by said bed plate, a shaft journaled in said bracket, a star wheel carried by said shaft, a lug carried by the rotating needle cylinder for periodic engagement with said star wheel to efiect movement thereof one tooth at a time, a stopmotion actuating finger, a movable rod for operative engagement with said stop-motion actuatin finger, and means controlled by said sha t for actuating said rod to move the stop-motion actuating finger.

In witness whereof I have signed this specification.

RINALDO A. LUKENS. 

